Amateur-built Great Lakes 2T-1A accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, March 22, 2003
On March 22, 2003 at about 1:43 pm local time, a amateur-built Great Lakes 2T-1A, registered N1980A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper preflight planning/decision to perform a second flight with known deficiencies in equipment, and his failure to maintain airspeed above the airplane's stall speed while maneuvering to reverse direction to land, after the engine subsequently ceased to operate, which resulted in a stall/mush, an inflight lost of control, an uncontrolled descent, and an impact with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2003 · about 1:43 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Great Lakes 2T-1A
- Registration
- N1980A · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he did a thorough preflight, run up, the takeoff checklist and took off from runway 05 at Spruce Creek Airport. Approximately 300 to 400 feet off the end of the runway he said the engine started to surge, and after a few surges it ceased operating completely. The pilot said that in order to avoid houses and trees, he attempted a turn to runway 23. He said he performed pre-landing tasks, and during his attempt to land on runway 23, it became apparent that he was not going to make it, so he landed in the only available open area for runway 5, in a wings level attitude. The airplane flipped over on its back and stopped. The passenger stated that they were flying the airplane on a flight immediately preceding the accident flight, and when they first took off on that flight he knew something was wrong. He stated that he smelled "smoke from the engine, or some kind of burning smell", and that they then landed because something was wrong. He said the pilot then did nothing other than "reved the engine before taking off again." During the takeoff, the passenger said that they got to an altitude of about 100 feet over the treetops and the engine started to stop and start. He said they lost altitude slowly at first, and as the pilot tried to turn around and come back toward the runway, he only made it to a position perpendicular to the end of the runway, before they started loosing altitude drastically. He said they went down at an angle into the water ditch at the and of the runway. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident, conducted examinations of the airframe and engine. According to the inspector, no preaccident anomalies were evident, and cold compressions were low on cylinders, but consistent with those obtained from a Franklin engine. The inspector further stated that when the engine was first installed on the airframe, the accessories had been swapped from another engine on to the accident engine. The Bendix model PS-5C pressure carburetor was examined, under NTSB supervision, at an FAA certified repair facility. The manual mixture control had incurred damage, and dark deposits had been baked on to the throttle body, consistent with that of an engine having been operating very rich. A large amount of engine oil in the venturi area, and during teardown, an air passage on the air side of the outer valve was found to have oil present, consistent with there being anomalies internal to the engine.The filter was clean and residue/contamination was found under the screen.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2002; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350-C1R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7FL9 Daytona Beach FL at 1:43 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 4,000 ft by 176 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from DAB, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA03LA080.